


Magic to Make the Sanest Man Fall in Love

by Seraphiie



Category: Star Trek: Discovery
Genre: AU, Ableism, Angst, Bigotry & Prejudice, Bullying, Deformity, Fluff, Gay, Homophobia, Multi, PTSD, Puffball - Freeform, Scars, Scientist!, Self-Esteem Issues, Self-Harm, Self-Hatred, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, Swearing, These two are dumb, ask questions if you have them, blame stamets, fat snake, i can explain, i promise it's not as weird as it sounds, i'll explain in the description., i'll make it work, its kinda weird, like a lot of swearing, many much gay, maybe transphobia, much gay, not by stamets, pet snakes, shit people, there are other characters too, will add more tags
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-20
Updated: 2018-08-25
Packaged: 2019-06-29 23:39:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,001
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15739653
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Seraphiie/pseuds/Seraphiie
Summary: Paul Stamets always assumed that when he met his soulmate, things would become easierHugh Culber has been waiting his whole life to meet his soulmate, and when he finally does it's nothing like he thoughteverything gets harder, and to top it all, they're facing a corrupt government official who's got it out for Paul's new techwill they make it out okay? who knowsor alternatively the soulmate AU no one asked for





	1. Prologue: Soulmates

**Author's Note:**

> hehe^^  
> if you have any questions just ask^^  
> also detailed explanation on how the soulmate thing works.  
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> 
> everyone who has a soulmate has a handprint on their body that is the exact color of their soulmates skin  
> this handprint is the exact position of where their soulmate first touches them.  
> so if someone has a soulmate who slaps them in the face, then there will be a mark there the exact color of that person's skin.  
> it usually appears at an age they can't remember it happening.  
> the mark stays there forever, unless they are no longer soulmates which is highly unlikely.

Paul Stamets was fourteen years old when he discovered his soulmark.  
It was simple, a handprint of a dark skinned man around his wrist, the thumb was exactly over his pulse and the rest of the fingers wrapped around the back of it.  
It looked oddly out of place on his pale slender wrist and he didn’t really want to show it off at school like most did when they got their soulmark.  
He didn’t show it to his parents either, he had no idea what they would say and he was a little scared to find out.

 

The first thing Hugh Culber noticed about his soulmark, was that it was really pale, like really pale.  
The second thing he noticed was that the mark was a man’s, and that meant they would meet as adults.  
His mark was fairly ordinary;it was a handprint on his shoulder, and it had a thumb on his neck with the rest of the fingers being splayed down his shoulder and to his back.  
Like all soulmarks it was simply a handprint where your soulmate first touches you.  
What was strange about it was that Hugh had gotten at thirteen, most people get their soulmarks when their to young to even remember it not being there.  
And that made him a late bloomer, a very late bloomer indeed.

 

Paul looked at the sign above his school, it read Taylor Prep.  
And the school’s motto but he ignored that.  
He had no idea how he would hide his soulmark, it was on his wrist, and it was the middle of summer so he couldn't wear long sleeves.  
He was royally screwed.  
The day actually went better than he had expected, he spent it with his nose buried in a Mycology book and as such didn’t attract anyone except his friend Straal who already knew. Perhaps this wouldn’t be so bad after all.  
“Well well, if it isn’t the mushroom boy.”  
Jake pushed him to the ground, knocking his book out of his hands.  
When he reached to pick it up, the bully noticed the soulmark.  
“What is that?” he asked sneering. “Did I give you a bruise?”  
Paul didn’t say anything, he just grabbed the book and stood up.  
When his wrist was in closer proximity to Jake, he realized what it was.  
The bully laughed and grabbed his other hand.  
“Ha! Mushroom boy finally got his Soulmark!” he called practically everybody in the school over.  
“Lookit! He’s actually got a Soulmate!” Jake said “i’m surprised it wasn't a papercut! With all he reads, you’d think he’d have a book for a Soulmate!”  
Paul looked around, Straal was in another class and he couldn’t see an exit in sight, his cheeks burned with shame and unshed tears glimmered in his eyes.  
Suddenly he heard yelling, and was surprised to find that it came from himself.  
“Well at least I have one! Everyone at school know that you’re a no-mark!”  
A hush fell over the students.  
Jake tightened his grip on Paul’s wrist.  
“You take that back Mushroom boy!”  
“I won’t! You’ve bullied me and hurt me since the day you came and i’m sick of it!”  
He grabbed Jake’s thumb and pried him off  
“Leave me ALONE!”  
And Paul stalked off through the crowd.

 

Hugh looked around his school, checking for anyone of the same pale color as his soulmark.  
He knew they were supposed to meet as adults but he was still really excited.  
He looked around to make sure no one was watching and went into the mens room.  
He inspected the soulmark closely, it hadn’t changed one bit.  
He sighed.  
What was he thinking, changing soulmarks were almost unheard of.  
If he was destined to meet his soulmate later, then he would just have to wait.  
It looks like he’d have to stick to being excited by class here at Taylor Prep  
He didn’t know how long the day took, but it was long.  
On the way to the exit he heard a large commotion.  
He went over and saw a crowd of students surrounding a boy with blonde hair.  
He couldn’t tell what they were doing, was it a congratulations thing or were the bullying him?  
He pushed through the crowd, about halfway through his struggle the crowd fell silent.  
He heard someone yell at the blonde kid in the middle  
“You take that back Mushroom boy!”  
“I won’t! You’ve bullied me and hurt me since the day you came and i’m sick of it!”  
Hugh saw the blonde pry the others hand from his wrist.  
“Leave me ALONE!” the blond yelled.  
Hugh watched him walk through the crowd with a sort of admiration.  
And he vaguely wondered why the kid was so pale.


	2. Snakes and Mycelium

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the story begins.

“God Fucking Damnit Lorca!”  
Paul Stamets slammed his hand on the table.  
“It can’t be done!”  
Gabriel Lorca, the president of the government funded transportation company put his head in his hand.  
“Why” he asked simply.  
Paul gripped the table so tightly his knuckles turned white.  
“I have put my body and mind under stress and abuse for this project, i have worked many long hours, and because of you I’m not even human anymore!”  
Lorca sighed and put his hands together.  
“What if I doubled the pay?”  
Paul slammed his hand on the table again, Lorca didn’t flinch.  
“It’s unstable, we can’t use it for vehicles because it needs someone to power it. And” he interrupted Lorca before he could start speaking again.  
“It doesn't work with everyone, it’s to unstable.”  
He scowled  
“Did you know there were three other people who tried this technology before I did?” he gestured to his torso.  
“I’m the only one who came out even remotely safely. The first one to try it was Ash Tyler.”  
He glared at Lorca, the straggled man stared back.  
“Do you know where he is now?” he answered before Lorca could speak. “He’s in a fucking Mental Hospital! A-and he’s fucking mauled two of the three therapists that have been assigned to him so far!”   
“And Justin Straal, my best friend went in next. He’s dead! It’s instability killed him! The tech exploded the minute he came in contact with the spores!”  
“What about the third person?” Lorca asked.  
“Sylvia Tilly is in. A fucking. Coma! She’s trapped in the Mycelial network!”  
He ran his hands through his hair, disheveling it.  
“And to top it all, I have to be stabbed in the side every time I want to use it!”  
He sat down.  
“This is an amazing discovery Lorca……….if we had given it more time and care, we could have done amazing things. But you and the government decided that it had to be ready for commercial and monetary use immediately.”  
Lorca stood up and walked over the window, his back to Paul and the mostly empty room.  
“Look, we don’t have to get it out immediately. You guys can take your time, and make sure more people don’t get hurt.”  
He turned back towards Paul.  
“We’ll double the funding, and insure all workers and their families, we will get this done.”  
Lorca started walking towards the door.  
“And about your stabbing problem, I have a doctor I think could help……..but I’ll need you to work with him. I’ll send him over to your place at around eight”  
He walked out of the room without a word.  
Paul scowled, he opened his bookbag and pulled out his phone, sending a quick email to the rest of the crew explaining the situation.  
He then walked out of the building and walked home.

When he got home the house was dimly lit and the only artificial light he could see was his Albino Ball Python’s heating lamp.  
“Hey Puffball” he said walking over to her terrarium, he picked up her thick, heavy body and wrapped around his neck.  
She stuck her tongue in his ear and he brushed it away.  
“You’re dumb as fuck you know that?”  
She didn’t dignify that with a response and instead proceed wind her head down his chest and just lay there.  
Paul had fed her yesterday so he didn’t have to feed her for another week or so.  
He walked into the kitchen and opened the fridge, staring at him was a single jug of (probably) expired milk. He had forgotten that he needed to go shopping.  
He looked at his watch and it’s digital face simply said nine pm.  
It was too late to go shopping, so he picked up his phone and called the nearby thai place.  
It came within the hour and he took the food from the delivery man with a stiff “thanks” and closed the door.  
Tomorrow was tuesday, he would have go shopping and finally eat something healthier than delivery.  
He ate, feeding his snake bits of meat as he did so.  
He poked her snout with his finger.  
“You’re fat too.” he had to admit it was his own fault Puffball was overweight, but he couldn’t help coddling her.  
He finished up and tidied in the kitchen.  
Paul sat down on his couch and turned on the tv, his snake’s cool body wrapped around his neck and top of his head.  
His last coherent thought before he fell asleep was he hoped Puffball wouldn’t run off.

He was woken up by the song “Phoenix” blaring at him from his phone.  
That would be Michael, why he’d made her ringtone that song he had no idea.   
He picked up the phone.  
“Yes Burnham?” he asked, mumbling “what do you need?”  
“Stamets! Tyler broke loose last night.” he sat up quickly.  
“What! What do you mean he broke loose!”  
As he said this he was already putting Puffball back in her tank and getting dressed in clean clothes.  
“He got out of the hospital, they went to check on him at around six in the morning and he wasn’t there. His restraints were gone and the window was broken.”  
“Fuck!” he cursed “what time is it now?”  
“Around eight o’clock. You have to go down to the lab! Check if he’s there. Saru already checked his apartment, and I”m right now checking his other favorite places.”  
“Shit. i’ll be at the lab as soon as I can. Bye!” he hung up and was about to walk out the door when his doorbell rang.  
Confused he opened the door and there stood a man in doctor’s uniform, and damn was he cute.  
“Who are you?” the doctor frowned “Lorca sent me to work with you on some medical tech.”  
“Shit!” he had completely forgotten. “Well it’s gonna have to wait. I have to go!”   
The doctor nodded his head  
“I’ll come with you.” Paul whipped his head around to look at him.  
“Fine! Get in the car now!” he unlocked the door and got in the driver's seat, the doctor got in on the passenger side.  
They barely had time to buckle their seatbelts before the blonde zoomed the car out of the driveway.  
He was going as fast as he could without breaking the speed limit.  
“What’s going on?” the doctor asked him. “Is this an emergency?”  
“Yes” said Paul tersely. He pulled into the car garage and rushed out of the car, the doctor keeping up with him easily.  
He scanned his badge and raced through the door, almost missing his destination.  
He walked through the door and flipped on the light switch.  
Tyler was not inside.  
He looked around, under shelves, in the containment area, but he was nowhere to be found.  
He scowled and went to pull out his phone, but it wasn’t in any of his pockets.  
“Shit. I must have left it at home.”  
The doctor looked at him. “What did you leave?”  
“My phone.”  
You can borrow mine”  
“Great, thanks.” he all but snatched the phone out of the other man’s hand and dialed Michaels number.  
“Hello? Who’s this?”  
“It’s Stamets” out of the corner of his eye he saw the doctor cock his head.  
“Thank goodness. Was he there?”  
“No, what about you? Any luck?”  
“No, I’ll alert the police when I get inside” she answered before Paul could ask. “It’s still a work day, I’m right outside the building.”  
Paul sighed.  
“It’s gonna be a shit day without my bag Burnham, plus I’m not wearing work clothes.”  
He heard his colleague sigh over the phone. “I’ll ask Saru to get your stuff, where-”  
“He knows where I live, I keep a spare key in the loose tile under the doormat. Bye”  
He hung up, and handed the phone back to he doctor.  
“I’m Hugh Culber.” Paul looked him up and down, he was just now seeing Culber in full detail.  
And damn was he pretty, his light brown skin and soft brown eyes, with a tiny bit of what looked like a soulmark peeking out from under his collar...shit. He turned away and started working on a file on a counter.  
“Paul Stamets, nice to meet you.” he didn’t turn around to shake his hand, he couldn’t get attached. Hugh. Culber, he corrected himself, probably had already met his soulmate.  
Especially being that pretty………..he started pulling out some bits and pieces of the spore drive tech, and piled them on the counter.  
“Sorry about all that, we were having an emergency, and I completely forgot you were supposed to be coming.”   
“What happened?” asked Hugh  
“There was someone in our crew who escaped a mental hospital.” he said bluntly.  
At that moment Michael walked in on a phone call, obviously talking to the police.  
Paul turned towards Hugh.  
“Let’s get started shall we.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> as always if you have any questions just ask.  
> critiques are also welcome  
> btw saru is the easiest to write, next is stamets and the hardest for me is hugh, i'll try tho  
> T-T  
> also, i'm not gonna start at the beginning of this chapter with hugh's pov for the next one, it will be a continuation of this chapter and what happened at the end.  
> also please realize i am not a mycologist or a doctor or a technician, so yeah


	3. A Realization

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> basically i dislike this chapter

“Lets get started shall we.”  
It was at that moment, Hugh knew he was screwed.  
Here he was, with this incredibly cute scientist, who was talking about someone from his crew having escaped from a mental hospital, as if it happened every day.  
He was definitely screwed.  
He walked over to the counter Stamets was working at and started inspecting each item the blonde was throwing haphazardly on the counter.  
“Right.” Stamets said, Hugh started a little. “This is all the bits and pieces we have available right now. The newest drive model used up most of our spare parts.”  
Hugh hummed. “I should probably see how it works before we try anything, and i need to know what the issue is before we start.”  
Stamets looked taken aback.  
“Lorca didn’t brief you?” the doctor shook his head and Stamets chuckled dryly.  
“Well then, you’ll find out soon enough.”  
The blonde started walking towards what looked like a containment chamber. In front of it were two iron pedestals with a lot of wiring on them that led to the chamber and connected to a pair of needlelike contraptions. On one pedestal was an orb made of steel.  
“With all due respect Stamets.” Burnham had spoken up. “Your not wearing your uniform, and your clothes will get damaged.”  
Stamets gave her a look.  
“Until Saru gets here, it’s going to have to get damaged.” he turned back towards Hugh.  
“Do you know what we’re trying to achieve here Culber?” he asked, Hugh nodded.  
“Sort of, i was told you're trying travel using a network of mycelial spores that supposedly cross all over the universe.”  
The blonde frowned. “That’s correct. But we’ve run into multiple complications, which is why we need your help.” he turned towards her. “Would you please spot me.”  
She nodded wordlessly, and walked over the the glass door and opened it for him.  
As she did so Hugh noticed a pale handprint on her palm, maybe this was Stamets’s Soulmate.  
But then he noticed it was a woman’s hand and that it was covered in a spray of freckles. Nope, Burnham was not Stamets’s Soulmate, he almost breathed a sigh of relief.  
Stamets walked into the chamber, stepped up onto a stretcher that was just barely upright. Burnham closed the door  
“Are we ready?” he asked her. “Yes sir.” she typed something into the pad next to the door and the containment filled with lots of glowing spores.  
And the needles jabbed themselves into the blonde’s sides before Hugh knew what was happening.  
Stamets grunted in pain as the needles entered his skin, and the doctor looked at Burnham in shock.  
She simply pointed to the pedestals. Hugh tore his eyes away from Stamets.  
And looked at the steel ball, it glowed blue for a second, then vanished and reappeared on the other pedestal.  
Hugh gasped, turned towards the containment chamber, and looked at the blonde.  
His head lolled for a minute as the needles removed themselves from his body, and he got up and stumbled to the door.  
Burnham opened it, and steadied him, leading him to a chair.  
“Is he okay?” Burnham opened her mouth to speak but Stamets beat her to the chase.  
““He” is fine, it’s just tiring……” The doctor pulled out his scanner to make sure he was.  
“Wow! You’re-you're-” “not human?” Stamets asked.  
“Well yes….” sparing him from any more awkwardness, someone walked in carrying two backpacks.  
“Stamets? Did you just come out of the spore drive?” Stamets nodded and Hugh turned to look at him, and was slightly startled by the man’s scarred face. He really hoped the man hadn’t noticed  
Hugh walked over to him and held out his hand. “Hello, I’m Hugh Culber. The doctor assigned to your.” he gestured to the spore drive. “Little problem.”  
“Ah, I am Saru. nice to meet you.” he shook his hand and walked over to the blonde.  
“Stamets, you do know that you should’ve at least waited until you had your uniform to demonstrate?” Burnham rolled her eyes. “That’s what i tried to tell him.” she crossed her arms “but you know Stamets, he never listens.”  
Hugh pulled out some gauze and knelt down besides Stamets, being careful(of what he didn’t know) he wrapped it around the area where the needles had penetrated the skin.  
“Thanks.” said Stamets. “So, what have you got for helping me?”  
Hugh rubbed the back of his neck.  
“I was thinking some kind of augment for the needles to lock into, instead of stabbing you everytime you need to work a machine.”  
Stamets laughed.  
“All right then.” he pulled his chair over to the counter with the parts.  
Hugh followed him over and pulled up the computer.  
He opened a designing program, and started scanning the available tech into the program.  
“Let’s see…” he mumbled to himself. “With the tech available, we should be able to construct at least a starting point.”  
Stamets leaned around the doctor to see what he was coming up with.  
“I think that instead of going on my sides, they should go on my arms instead, that way the augments are easier access.”  
Hugh hummed and nodded, changing the design around.  
He stood back.  
“Okay. So ideally it would connect to your arms, and the needles would go into the socket here.”  
Hugh looked at the blonde, his brow was furrowed and he was biting his lip in concentration, and it was really cute.  
“This is going to require a bit of surgery…” Stamets looked at Hugh, and the doctor quickly looked back at the program to mask that he was staring.  
“I think you are qualified. Correct?”  
Hugh nodded “I didn’t go to medical school for nothing ya know.” he smirked at Stamets and the blonde rolled his eyes.  
“We should probably refine this a little bit before we start building, and if there are any parts we still need, i can 3D print them.”  
Hugh squinted at the device onscreen and nodded.  
The rest of the day was quiet. Interrupted only by Stamets getting up to change, and little snippets of discussion about the slowly changing device on screen.

Hugh pushed his chair back.  
“That should do it.” Stamets put the device in a simulation as he said that.  
“It seems like it’ll work, I’ll call Lorca and tell him the……….news.”  
“He’s already here.”  
Everyone turned around and saw Gabriel Lorca standing in the doorway.  
“Hello Lorca….” said the blonde bitterly.  
Hugh looked back and forth between the two men.  
“Am I missing something here?” asked the doctor.  
“Not at all doctor Culber.” said Lorca pleasantly. “Doctor Stamets simply isn’t a fan.”  
He walked over to the computer they'd been working at.  
“I see you’ve gotten a lot done, when will you be able to get it working?”  
“I’d say tomorrow, depending on Culber’s schedule.” said Stamets evenly. “But it depends, in all probability it will be done this week.”  
Lorca looked Hugh.  
“Well? Does your schedule allow the surgery to happen tomorrow?”  
It was at that moment Hugh realized why Stamets disliked the government official.  
He pushed far to hard for everything to get done, and seemed to care little for crew’s needs.  
“I believe so, let me check my calendar.” the doctor went over to his backpack and pulled out his phone.  
“Yes, i should be free tomorrow, and able to get it done.”  
Lorca clapped his hands together. “Excellent! I can’t wait to see how it goes.  
I’m sure you can’t thought Hugh.  
With that, Lorca walked out of the door.  
Stamets turned to look at Hugh “is your schedule really clear?”  
“Yes, I try to stick to the truth. Even when dealing with someone unlikable.”  
Stamets nodded.  
“Are you nervous?” asked Hugh “i know that some people find medical procedures especially nerve wracking.”  
“I’m fine, it can’t be worse than being stabbed in the side every time I want to interact with the spore drive….”  
Hugh frowned, but stayed silent.

He checked his phone’s clock, 6 o’clock.  
“What time do you normally get off work Stamets?” Hugh thought he saw the blonde clench his fists, but they relaxed again in a second.  
“It really depends on what’s happening that day, but usually eight or nine.”  
The doctor hummed.  
“I think you should leave work early today.” Stamets gave him a quizzical look.  
“You have a surgery tomorrow, and i think you should get a good night's sleep.”  
Burnham spoke up.  
“I agree Stamets, especially before a surgery you need to get an adequate amount of rest. And in your bed instead of on the couch.”  
Stamets looked visibly displeased sighed.  
“Fine, but I’m going to finish the augments first.”  
“Fine, but then you go home, no cuts, no buts, and no coconuts.” he grinned at Stamets.  
“What the fuck…..” Hugh twisted to face Burnham and Saru, he ignored the blonde’s profanity.  
“Would either of you be willing to give me a ride home, when you guys close up?”  
Burnham shook her head. “I can’t I have to visit someone.”   
Hugh looked at Saru. “of course, I’d be happy to give you a ride.”  
“Thanks Saru.” Hugh smiled at the scarred man, and he nodded back.  
Stamets didn’t take his eyes of the Augments.   
“You can get off of work early too Michael.” The doctor saw her look at Stamets. As far as he could tell, this environment was pretty profesional.  
“Sir?”  
“To visit Sylvia, correct?” Burnham looked uncertain. “Go ahead, I think we’ve got it here. Saru?”  
The scarred man looked at the blonde.  
“Yes?” he asked “you can leave too if you want.”  
“But Lorca.”  
“Screw Lorca. You can all leave early, I don’t really think there is anything of importance left to do.”  
Stamets still hadn’t looked up from putting the pieces of the augment together, but he waved his hand towards the door.  
“Shoo! Go! Have a more relaxing evening than I will.”  
Burnham rolled her eyes, but smiled. And closed her laptop.  
Saru also closed his laptop, and beckoned for Hugh to come.  
“Do you still need a ride Culber?”  
Hugh nodded and glanced at Stamets as he walked out.  
“Remember, seven o’clock. And please get a good night's sleep.”  
Stamets nodded.  
And Hugh walked out the door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> as usual any questions just ask^^

**Author's Note:**

> yes, i stole the tite, deal  
> jeez they're dumb.........


End file.
